Why are terrorists able to market oil?

August 31, 2014

Islamic State terrorists are a greater threat than al-Qaida ever was. That is because they possess several advantages al-Qaida never enjoyed.

First is that the Islamic State has conquered a vast swath of territory in Iraq and Syria.

Second is that the Islamic State seems to have an excellent recruiting network. Hundreds of "foreign fighters," including some Americans, are among its troops.

Third, the Islamic State has more money than its leaders know how to spend, at least for now. The Islamic State is raking in an estimated $2 million a day from sales of Iraqi oil, again from conquered areas.

That leads to the question of who is buying oil from terrorists who really do threaten civilization itself. It also brings up the question of what President Barack Obama's administration is doing about that.

Obama insists his administration has restored respect for the U.S. among other nations. And the president is famous for using economic sanctions against our enemies.

Then why are Islamic State leaders able to sell $2 million worth of oil a day to anyone? U.S. officials already should have done something to keep that from happening.